


Not Very Hoppy

by Lil_Lycanthropy



Series: DWCAU (Dog Walking/College AU) [2]
Category: Thomas Sanders
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animals, Dissociation, Injury, It's not as angsty as it sounds i'm just tagging all the possible triggers, M/M, PTSD, bunny - Freeform, car crash, therapy animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 21:05:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13489773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_Lycanthropy/pseuds/Lil_Lycanthropy
Summary: Only one thing can help Patton on a bad pain day—his therapy bunny, Elphaba, of course.





	Not Very Hoppy

**Author's Note:**

> Real quick oneshot because I haven't been as active lately, promise a longer fic is coming soon! (Was just in the mood to do something short and slightly angsty with a rabbit involved).

According to six out of seven therapists, Patton definitely had PTSD from the car accident when he was six. It killed both of his parents on impact, and he had to go to physiotherapy for three years after to learn to walk again.

Fortunately, two lovely women were not afraid of taking on a child with a disability. It was difficult, sure, but Patton learned to balance, and after many a surgery, hefinally regained feeling in parts of both of his legs.

The scarring was intense, and some days he couldn’t stand to look down at his legs. He always wore long pants to cover them up.

Then he heard the musical _Wicked_.

Being an outcast for something they couldn’t control? Definitely the story for Patton. In more ways than one, he was, well...the odd one out. The scars on his legs were only one piece of the puzzle.

There were many things people didn’t like about Patton. They didn’t like that he couldn’t go anywhere that had cats because he would sneeze and turn red and blow up like a balloon. They didn’t like it when he wore shorts or sometimes showed up in a wheelchair or with a cane when the pain was too much. They didn’t like that he stayed home on the same day every year just to cry. They didn’t like that he had two moms. They didn’t like that he played on the boys’ team at recess or went by “he”. They didn’t like the way his name suddenly changed one day. 

Patton was not the most loved by his classmates. 

He eventually found someone in high school who didn’t care about any of these things, and just supported him in his own special way. They even got together for a little while before Patton realized he didn’t want a relationship. Logan was sad, but acknowledged his feelings, and they remained friends to this day.

This day when Patton was having another breakdown.

Though they were few and far between, they still happened. He would be crushed by the overwhelming feeling of grief, thoughts of what could’ve been, and tingles in his legs right where they had been sliced open, both by the ruined car and the scalpels of surgeons. Only one thing helped him when he got like this.

_Elphaba._

Not only the character from _Wicked_ , but his pet bunny as well. She was a licensed PTSD Therapy Bunny, a cute little black lionhead rabbit that was calm in situations of stress—very unusual for a rabbit, but nevertheless appreciated.

Patton went down to the garage with trembling legs. It was a bad pain day, and if he wasn’t home alone, he would be using his wheelchair rather than only his cane. His legs shook with every step, but he tried to push through.

_Just have to get to the garage...please let me make it to the garage..._

After what felt like an eternity, he was finally able to open the door and stumble down the ramp in the garage. Elphaba was waiting for him at the bottom, nose twitching and ears swivelling around like sonar dishes. Patton collapsed halfway down the ramp, too tired to go on, tears spilling from his eyes. 

Elphie hopped up to meet him, and he cradled her on his lap. She nuzzled up to him, flopping over. He continued to stroke her fur, focusing on how soft it was rather than the crushing weight of his emotions. She knew exactly what to do, and stayed still as he stroked her fluffy ears.

Eventually, he calmed down enough that Elphie hopped away and nibbled on some hay. Patton rewarded her with a treat once he stood up again and the world didn’t feel like it was falling around him. She hopped around, excited that Patton was no longer curled up in a ball on the floor of the ramp.

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

“Patton?” Logan called out softly.

“In here,” Patton said, voice shaking slightly.

“Do you require assistance?”

“That’d be great, Lo.”

Logan helped him stumble back into the house, closing the door behind them. He settled Patton down on the couch, and wheeled over his chair in case he wanted to get up. Then he grabbed a glass of water and handed it to Patton, with a bright pink bendy straw.

“Thanks.”

Patton drank the water gratefully through the straw, leaning back into the couch with a sigh. 

Logan sat across from him, crossed-legged and with a book. He gave Patton a minute to catch his breath and collect his thoughts before addressing him.

“Do you wish to talk about your current feelings or would you prefer I not pry?”

“You’re fine, just...bad day, I guess.”

“You’re allowed having those, you know,” Logan said with a small smile, placing his book facedown on the table.

Patton nodded his head ever so slightly but he still looked doubtful. “I wish things were different.”

“Wishes are often unattainable, so it’s better not to waste time or brain power thinking on them.”

“I know, Lo. But I can’t help but think...”

Patton was getting fidgety again, hastily wiping back the tears as the slid down his face.

“Patton? Are you alright?”

Patton shook his head, biting down on his knuckles to stifle the sobs. Some days, it was like he was in the car again, slowly being crushed and seeing his parents lifeless faces as he was rescued from the ruins by firefighters and paramedics.

Logan rushed to the garage, gingerly picked up the bunny, and brought her back, placing her on Patton’s lap. The bunny seemed slightly distressed in the way that she moved around and her ears stayed upright, but Patton ignored her, lost in his own nightmare. He could feel his legs crunching as they were slammed into the back of the driver’s seat, he could feel the blood pooling from his hands and legs and a spot on the back of his head, he could feel the hands of absolute strangers trying to piece together his broken body, doing nothing for his broken mind.

Elphaba ran in a tight circle on his lap, trying to get his attention. Logan put Patton’s hand on her back, trying to stay calm. He had seen Patton dissociate before, but still didn’t know the exact protocol of what to do. He was hoping the feeling of fur under his fingertips would help ground him.

Thankfully, it seemed to do the trick. After several minutes, Patton’s posture relaxed and he slumped back into the couch with his eyes closed, hand running lightly over Elphaba. The tear tracks dried up on his face, and he continued petting the bunny, distracting himself from the hell that was in his head.

He must’ve dozed off, because the next thing he knew, he was awoken by the feeling of a warm blanket being placed over him, and continued to sleep peacefully, without any nightmares, with the softest fluffball in existence nestled in his arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr is [@guav-writes](https://guav-writes.tumblr.com/)


End file.
